Until recently, I pretty much treated early bootleg collectibles like any other self-respecting Star Wars collector - dutifully tossing them out on-sight or outright ignoring them. They were cheap, shoddy, and not worthy of the Star Wars name - and, of course, illegal in the first place.

Last year, though, someone said something that changed my attitude toward the earliest bootlegs at least, which I can safely admit to since the statute of limitations on the '77-78 stuff has pretty much run its course. I came to realize that the very first stuff to emerge on the market was created to feed a public appetite for all things Star Wars, when there was little to no official material to go around (licensees were slow to sign on before the film released and consequently had little to show in the months that followed). Sure, the stuff was churned out to turn a quick buck, but they did fill a vacuum, at least for a time. A gray chapter in Star Wars merchandising history, but a chapter nonetheless.

Rummaging through Steve Sansweet's collection some time ago, I came across a catalog put out by a company that's pretty much become synonymous with early Star Wars bootlegs among collectors in-the-know - Star Trek Galore. I recognized many of the pieces depicted on the pages, and decided to try and track down the pieces I didn't already have - a difficult task, given that most of the stuff is usually offered as secondary throw-ins with auction lots. It's taken me awhile, but I've managed to find most of the buttons, stickers, and cards (and even that incredibly rare Vader pen) which I've included in the Insider Online #91 supplement we just posted here. For a broader view of early Star Wars bootlegs, make sure to check out my "Guilty by Association" article in the new Insider.

Oh, and if anyone's got any of the "missing" items depicted in the Insider Online pdfs, please email me!